Orientated strand board (“OSB”), parallel strand board lumber, and other engineered wood products are formed by layering strands (flakes) of wood in specific orientations. Such manufactured wood products are typically manufactured in wide mats from cross-orientated layers of thin, rectangular wooden strips compressed and bonded together with wax and resin adhesives (95% wood, 5% wax and resin). These strips are created by refining wood onto mats, which are sifted and then orientated on a belt.
The mat is made by forming a bed of internal and external layers. The external layers are suitably aligned in a panel direction and the internal layers are typically randomly positioned. The number of layers placed is set by the required thickness of the finished panel. The mat is then placed in a thermal press system.
Recently developed press systems utilize a plurality of press units, each having opposed platens. The plurality of press units are disposed within spaced frame members and often operate under high loading conditions, such as about 1000 psi. Under certain operating conditions, such as power failure, the opposed platens “lock-up,” where the platens are sometimes stuck in a compressed position. This prevents normal operation of the press.
To return the press back to its normal operating condition, the mat within the press must be removed from between the opposed platens. However, because of the high loading conditions under which the press units operate, it is often a labor intensive procedure to separate the platens to remove the mat. Thus, there exists a need for a lock assembly for a frame of a manufactured wood product press.